After living in Tennessee for the past six years, we finally made the trek to Pigeon Forge to visit Dollywood and we are oh so happy that we did. Wild Eagle is a winner on all accounts (smooth, fun, beautiful)! The park was in midst of the annual Barbeque & Bluegrass festival but crowds were still pretty light, which allowed us to take in all that Dollywood had to offer. Among the highlights were Tennessee Tornado, Thunderhead, and the Dollywood Express coal locomotive. Unfortunately, Mystery Mine was not operating due to maintenance issues but the wonderful food more than made up for it. Note: to skip past the usual Theme Park Urge tour of the park and head straight to Wild Eagle pics, go to Page 8 of the photo gallery.

Check out the newly expanded Games page with 17 new games. Yes, you read that correctly: 17 new online games including four more Disney simulations, a couple more offerings from Digital Chocolate, the latest Roller Coaster Creator 2, a few obscure physics-based coaster games, and a coaster that makes use of an interesting item (when you find it, you'll understand). So what are you waiting for? Head over to the Games page for hours of fun. We collected all of the best games on one page so you can spend less time searching and more time playing.

The Tennessee State Fair made significant progress this year since the last time we attended in 2008. Trading up to the carnival and concession expertise of North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) certainly didn't hurt things, in our opinion. Overall, the fair seemed much more relaxed and enjoyable this year. Plus, it gave us our first glimpses of Remix II (a Tivoli nausea-inducing contraption) and the humongous Euroslide.

We found an unexpected add-on bonus after attending the Franklin Main Street Festival: a ghetto carnival presented by Dickson Carnival Company. There was a Zipper and a Paratrooper (both of which were not operating), but there was a Tempest (Calypso-type flat) and another (newer) Loop-O-Plane. How many times do you encounter two Loop-O-Planes in one day?!?

Our first visit to the nearby Franklin Main Street Festival, which features tons of street vendors and a classic carnival presented by Casey's Rides. Highlights included a Rock-O-Plane and an ancient-looking Loop-O-Plane, as well as The Strangest Thing You Will Ever See... and, no, it's not Hamsterball.

No theme park enthusiant's Vegas Vacation would be complete without taking a side trip to Primm to ride Desperado at Buffalo Bill's. Once one of the tallest and fastest coasters in the world, this Arrow hyper coaster still packs quite a punch. Trust us, pulling 4 g's while flying through the 100-degree desert air at 80 mph is quite an experience.

After a couple days of relative relaxation on the Vegas Vacation, it was time to hit up some thrills at the NASCAR Café at the now-closed Sahara. In retrospect, based on the fact that Speed: The Ride was on a 15-minute launch schedule, it's not a real surprise that it was in its last days. Although we're huge fans of launched shuttles, Speed was a little too rough and intense for our tastes. Hopefully, though, it will find a new home - perhaps reincarnated elsewhere on the Strip.

With much fear and trepidation, we trekked to the Stratosphere to attempt Sky Jump Las Vegas - an 855-foot freefall from the 108th floor of the tower. Half of us actually went through with the deed, while the other half watched with admiration. Like the certificate you receive upon completion states, those that did jump are entitled to "lifetime immunity from being called chicken, scaredy cat, wimp and any other monikers that might imply less than crazy brave".

The first stop on Theme Park Urge's Vegas Vacation - the first such vacation that actually wasn't built around roller coasters. Nevertheless, some thrills were had in Sin City, starting with the Roller Coaster (Manhattan Express), which some may say is a sin to still be in operation.

If you are like us and you love everything Carousel (or Carrousel, depending on how you spell it) or Merry-Go-Round, join us on this quick side trip to the historical Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum. See actual hand-carving and Wurlitzers in action while you take in the sights that made the Allan Herschell Company so legendary!

The sixth stop on the New York State tour brings us to this rather small but enjoyable park. The CCI Silver Comet (modeled after the Crystal Beach Comet) and the dizzying Flight (a 200 foot-tall chairswing) are among this park's prized possessions. Note that a few rides featured here have already been removed to make room for the new Mind Warp, opening in 2011.

This park, located off Lake Ontario in Rochester, NY, has been a local favorite for over 125 years, and its tradition permeates throughout the park. The Jack Rabbit and Bobsleds roller coasters are among the gems that can be found at Seabreeze. Add some state-of-the-art coasters and flats and you get a very nice family-owned park.

What started out as a Mother Goose themed amusement park back in 1954 is now a full-fledged Six Flags park. Perhaps the most memorable ride at Great Escape is the Comet - the relocated, legendary Crystal Beach (Ontario) Comet - that is still thrilling riders with its deceiving speed and intense airtime. Although not as legendary, you can also find the relocated Rock N' Roller Coaster (now named Canyon Blaster) from Opryland USA here. With its strong mix of children areas and adult rides, this park can entertain generations.

Located on the shores of beautiful Oneida Lake, Sylvan Beach is the third stop on the New York State tour. This carnival-ish, family-owned park does have a few diamonds in the rough, though, namely the Laffland dark ride from 1954. In fact, there's a great history lesson about this classic ride here. Other gems include a rare Rock-O-Plane and a vintage Rotor (both of which we were able to marathon on as long as humanly possible). Although it was a rainy day with few guests in attendance, the park staff did its best to make this a memorable park visit!

After a brief hiatus, Theme Park Urge is back to report on the second stop on the New York State tour: Waldameer Park & Water World. This traditional park takes you back to when parks had more character than thrills. Not withstanding, Waldameer does boast the Ravine Flyer II - an exciting coaster that offers breath-taking views of Lake Erie as you careen through trees and over bridges. For a relaxing day at your own pace, this 100-plus year-old park provides a great introduction to parks of yesteryear.

The first stop on the New York State tour takes us to the largest park in the state: Darien Lake. Among the seven coasters in the park, you'll find the highly rated Ride Of Steel as well as the unique MotoCoaster, not to mention the surprisingly-awesome custom Arrow coaster Viper. Add a slew of rather unique flats and a new water park, and you've got an all-day park visit.

Update June 22, 2010

New York State/Great Lakes

2010.06.14-22

Theme Park Urge has just returned from an extensive tour of New York state and the Great Lakes - seven destinations in seven days. Stops included Darien Lake, Waldameer, Sylvan Beach, Great Escape, Seabreeze, the Carousel Museum, and Martin's Fantasy Island. Check back for photo updates across the next couple weeks documenting the historic trip.

One of the most popular parks in the country get its first visit in five years. Python's gone, but SheiKra more than makes up for it. Add Jungala and Cheetah Chase to the additions, and the park seems even better than remembered. Let's face it: Busch Gardens Tampa has three world-class steel coasters that offer tons of thrills, not to mention a classic Schwarzkopf that never goes out of style!

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